Think Tanks

Climate controlled environments - often with in walking distance of Great Satan's capital - chock full of super brainiacs, smart cats and 'governments in waiting"

Think tanks - like girls - come in all flavors. Some are huge - with over $50 million a year in operating costs and salaries. Some are tiny tiny - often comprising only one person.

It's not for nothing that think tanks are called “governments in waiting.” Presidents seek them out because they are critical to the global ideas industry. Far more than simply churning out endless papers, think tank wonks and wonkettes generate and fine-tune solutions to some of the most complex and vexing issues of the day. Leaders around the world need them to provide independent analysis, help set policy agendas, and bridge the gap between knowledge and action.

But not all think tanks are created equal. There are some 5,500 think tanks worldwide, in nearly 170 countries. Some organizations specialize in security; others in the environment.

Some are intensely partisan; others fiercely independent. Some have budgets in the tens of millions of dollars; others are one cat ops. Some are already changing the world with their big ideas; others merely aspire to.

Until now, there has been no guide to this rapidly growing global industry. The Think Tank Index is the first comprehensive ranking of the world’s top think tanks, based on a worldwide survey of hundreds of scholars and experts.

Foreign Policy lists the top 30

Think of it as an insider’s guide to the competitive marketplace for ideas that matter.

Art - Think Tankers Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett